Morning in the Alchemy Gardens
The next day dawned bright, the academy cloaked in soft sunlight and mist. Rows of blooming herbs glistened with dew as the morning alchemy class gathered around the open-air pavilions.
Today was not a lesson in power — but in patience.
A senior instructor spoke, gesturing to rows of herbs and cauldrons.
"Alchemy," he said, "is the art of refining the world — and oneself. A true alchemist tempers both flame and heart."
He motioned toward the tables, each laden with crushed leaves and glowing powders.
"Listen well. These are the foundational classes of pills you must know."
🌿 The Pill Classifications
Basic Pills (Tier 1):
For early cultivation — restore stamina, heal wounds, awaken qi.
Vitality Restoring, Spirit Awakening, Qi Circulation, Pain Numbing.Intermediate Pills (Tier 2):
Used by trained cultivators — balance inner energy, resist poison, strengthen will.
Thunder Pulse, Stone Heart, Moonlight Pill.Advanced Pills (Tier 3):
Rare and complex — used to stabilize breakthroughs or survive calamities.
Phoenix Rebirth, Ocean Heart, Heavenly Ascension.Divine Pills (1–9 Rings):
Each ring marks a divine resonance — the environment itself responds when such pills are forged.
These are the work of legends, not students.
"Remember," the instructor warned, "alchemy is reflection. A restless heart brews poison. A balanced one brews medicine."
The class nodded, taking notes — except Akihiro, whose violet flame kept flickering too high. Each attempt ended in smoke or a small explosion. The others laughed quietly.
One senior whispered, "He can't even control his fire."
Akihiro gritted his teeth, calming his breath. A calm flame obeys a calm heart.
He exhaled slowly. The next flame was steady, smaller — faint violet instead of white. He held it there, letting the cauldron settle. When the bubbling stopped, a faintly glowing pill rolled to the surface — his first Qi Circulation Pill.
The instructor raised an eyebrow.
"That flame… it's not mortal."
Akihiro smiled faintly. "It listens now."
💎 Discovery – The Necklace and the Pull
As the class ended, Akihiro stayed behind to clean. The morning breeze rustled parchment and herbs — and then, faintly, his chest pulsed.
A hum, low and rhythmic, resonated with something buried beneath the shelves.
He crouched — and saw it.
A crimson gem, bound by a cracked silver chain, half buried in dust. When he reached for it, the mark along his ribs flared softly, and the gem responded — pulsing like a heartbeat.
He lifted it carefully. Warm. Alive. Familiar.
To anyone else, it was just an artifact.
But to Akihiro, it called — as though it remembered him.
He pocketed it quietly, meaning to report it later.
Yet all through the day, the faint warmth never left his chest… and when dusk fell, it began to pull toward the direction of the waterfall.
🌑 The Whisper Beneath the Falls
Night fell. The academy slept.
The necklace glowed faintly through his robes, pulsing faster the closer he came to the waterfall. The air grew thick with mist, the roar of water echoing like distant thunder. The glow guided him to the edge — where the curtain of water parted, revealing a narrow stone passage.
Inside, a forgotten vault glimmered in red mist. Shattered flasks. Cracked cauldrons. Scrolls sealed behind glass. The scent of burnt iron and old incense hung heavy.
The gem on his chest burned hot.
The air shimmered — and a voice, cold and sharp, spoke.
"So… the academy still sends children to die in its storage rooms."
🧬 The Awakening
A figure emerged from the light — tall, spectral, golden eyes glowing through the mist.
"I am Alaric Veyne," the apparition said. "Once Grand Alchemist of the Mirror Realm.
Tell me, boy — do you follow recipes, or do you create?"
Akihiro swallowed hard. "I… learn."
Alaric scoffed. "Learning is the slowest form of dying."
The vault shook — energy pressure crashed down on him, visions flashing through his mind: molten rivers, shattered furnaces, broken dreams. Akihiro fell to his knees but did not yield.
When the air finally stilled, Alaric's tone softened.
"Pain is honest. That will do for now."
🔥 The Pact of Flame
Alaric's image flickered, and the necklace flared with blinding light.
"The necklace you hold," Alaric said, "is a Seal of Sin — my soul, bound to prevent the catastrophe I once unleashed.
If you would learn from me, you must walk the path that destroyed me."
The gem's light surged, carving a faint sigil of fire over Akihiro's heart. It burned for a moment — then faded into his skin. The pact was sealed.
Alaric's last words echoed as his image dissolved:
"Alchemy is not obedience. It is rebellion refined."
🌙 Return to the Surface
Akihiro staggered from the vault, drenched and trembling. The waterfall poured steadily behind him, whispering faint voices that seemed almost alive.
He glanced at the crimson gem — now dull, cold, but heavy with unseen presence.
A thunderclap rolled across the horizon.
From his study window, the Dean looked toward the falls, eyes narrowing.
"Someone… has awakened something they shouldn't have."
💠 Closing Moment — The Flame and the Lotus
That night, Akihiro sat by candlelight, staring into the necklace.
For a fleeting instant, his reflection changed — molten glass surrounded him, lotus petals drifting through flame.
A vision of who he might become: an alchemist not bound by rules, but by purpose.
"Everything pure," a distant voice whispered,
"is refined from something impure."